The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you (II Corinthians 13:13).

A reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke:

He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,'

and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.'

I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?  Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

The Gospel of the Lord.

 Apparently, the disciples are . . . “watching Jesus pray to God, His Father,” . . .

. . . because they are able to “discern” . . .

. . . when “He finishes praying.”

        THEY RECOGNIZE . . . that “SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT HAPPENS” . . .

. . . when Jesus prays!

What they observe . . .

. . . creates a desire . . .

. . . within their hearts . . .

        . . . to know more!

They have an “expectation” . . . of the “master-disciple relationship.”

The disciples . . . want to know . . .

. . . “how Jesus . . .

        . . .  connects with God.”    

(Pause)

So, Jesus teaches them, . . . and us, today, . . .  that in prayer, . . .

. . . we approach God  . . .

. . . with “directness and intimacy.”

We address God . . . as “Our Father” . . .

. . . which indicates a “relationship” . . .

. . . with a “loving parent” . . .

. . . who is “near to us” . . .

. . . and “who cares for us.”

Jesus explains . . . that “reverence” is to be shown . . .

. . . to the Holy and Divine Name of God: . . .

     . . . which is . . . (slowly) . . .

. . .“HALLOWED,” . . .

                . . .“WORSHIPPED,” . . .

. . . “BLESSED,” . . .

. . . and “RESPECTED”!

Jesus demonstrates “total dependence upon God” . . . teaching us to . . .

. . . “ASK” . . .  

. . . for “our daily bread.”

Just as Jesus is “dependent upon God”  . . . as His provider . . .

. . . we, as His disciples, . . .

. . . must “realize and appreciate”

. . . “our dependence” UPON . . .

. . . God’s provision . . .

. . . for us, as well!

        Jesus teaches  . . . to “recognize” . . .

. . .  that we are sinners . . .

. . . in need of forgiveness; . . . (slowly)

. . . then, in “sincerity and contriteness” . . .

        . . . we must acknowledge our sins . . .

. . . and ask for forgivness (Psalm 51)!

Jesus teaches that . . . “seeking and receiving God’s forgiveness” . . .  

. . . brings healing . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . to our mind, body, and soul.

Therefore, it is also very important . . . for us  to “forgive others” . . .  

. . . in the same “generous and unconditional way” . . .

. . . that “we, ourselves” . . .

. . . have been forgiven!

Jesus . . . saw the need for us . . . to ask to “be delivered . . . from temptation.”      

        ABOUT “TEMPTATION,” . . . SAINT CYRIL of ALEXANDER COMMENTS: . . .  

“when people are not being ‘led into temptation,’ . . .

. . .  they are (being) . . .

. . . ‘delivered from the evil one.’”

Jesus teaches . . . that the Heavenly Father . . . “STANDS READY” . . .

. . . to “Give the Holy Spirit” . . .  

. . . to those “who ask Him.”

When we “receive” the “Gift of the Holy Spirit,” . . .

     . . . we are able

. . . to talk to “Our Father,” . . .

. . . through the Holy Spirit . . .

                                . . . Who dwells within US!

(Pause)

At this point, . . . Jesus tells a story . . . to explain . . .

. . . the importance of . . .

. . . “persistence in prayer.”

He says: . . .  “Suppose that one of you has a friend . . . to whom he goes, at midnight . . .

. . . and says: . . .

“Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

. . . for a friend of mine . . .

. . . has ‘just arrived’ at my house . . .

. . . from a journey, . . .  

. . . and I have nothing . . .

. . . to offer him.”

From within the house, . . . “the man” replies:     . . . “Do not bother with me; . . .

. . . the door has already been locked, . . .

. . . and my children and I . . .

. . . are already in bed!”

“I cannot give you anything!

(Pause)

Jesus says, “I tell you, . . . if he won’t get up to give him the loaves . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . because of . . . the ‘persistence,’ . . .

. . . he will get up . . .

. . . to give him whatever he wants!

(Pause)

Now, “hospitality” was an “important part of the society” . . .  in which Jesus lived.

The whole community took pride . . .  in their traditional ideals . . .

. . . about “community hospitality.”

In this story, . . . if “the man” does not offer the bread . . . to his friend, . . .

. . . “the man” and his family . . .

        . . . along with the entire village . . .

. . . will be “shamed.”

Moreover, if “word gets out” that  “the man” inside has dishonored the village, . . .

. . . by not supplying proper hospitality . . .

. . .  he will be “ostracized”!

The man outside . . . is “pounding on the door” to show hospitality to the visitor, . . .

. . . in part, . . .

. . . because he is concerned about . . .

. . . the reputation of the village.

(Pause)

Just so, . . . when we experience “unanswered prayer,” . . .

. . . we, the ones who are praying, . . .

        . . . must “be bold” . . .

. . . and “not hold back” . . .

. . . because many things . . .

        . . . are affected by our prayers!

We are to “persistently”. . . “ask, seek, and knock”!

(Pause)

In the Church, today, . . . are people, . . . who,  in their prayers, . . .

. . . are “REFUSING to give up.”

They are “standing up” . . . and “speaking out” . . . and they are “praying persistently”

. . . for “purity in the Church” . . .

. . . and “justice” . . .

        . . . for “victims of abuse” . . .

                . . . in the Catholic Church.

They understand how “silence” . . . about the “sins of some” . . .

. . . fouls the “reputation” . . .

        . . . of the “faith community . . .

. . .  as a whole.”

Time after time, . . .  they have “refused to accept compromise” . . .  

. . . when it was offered.

        They have “taken ownership” of their Church . . .

. . . and have “persistently prayed” . . .

. . . for positive change!

 They have not accepted “second best” responses, . . .

. . . but have been “persistent” . . .

. . . by “seeking . . .

. . . and knocking.”

Because of their “PERSISTENCE,” . . .

. . . year by year, . . .

. . . the Church “is” changing . . .

. . . for the better!

We now have . . . the “Virtus Program” . . . that is becoming increasingly . . .

. . . “more professional and relevant” . . .

        . . . to “help prevent” . . .

. . . “sexual abuse” of children.

We now witness the Pope . . . talking directly to the “victims of abuse” . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . and advocating . . .

. . . for them.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn recently said: . . .  

. . . “The days of ‘cover up’ . . . are over!

For a long while, the Church principle of forgiveness . . .  was falsely interpreted . . .

. . . and was in favor . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . of “protecting those responsible,” . . .  

        . . . the “perpetrators,” . . .

                . . . instead of “protecting

. . . the victims.”

          Prayer – “asking, seeking, and knocking” – has struck a “final blow” . . .

. . . to the “ongoing sin” . . .

. . . against children!

        (Pause) 

Now, how can we “join in and help” . . .

        . . . with this “purification process”?

The “Voice of the Faithful” organization suggests: . . .

First, . . . more people . . . in the parish . . . must become more involved!”

. . . relies upon the involvement . . .

        . . . and participation . . .

. . . of all the laity. ”

“Make your voice heard,” by: . . .

Joining a ministry, . . .

. . .  serving on a committee, . . .

. . . sharing your time and talents, . . .

. . . and increasing . . .

. . . your financial support.”

        
        (Pause)

Second, . . . “protection” is necessary! 

        The Church must aggressively . . . “PROTECT OUR CHILDREN” . . .

. . . by providing . . .

. . . a safe environment, . . .

. . . training programs, . . .

. . . and a monitoring committee.

In parish religious education . . . and in the parish schools . . .

. . . anyone  who “works with children” . . .

. . . must have this training . . .

. . . and keep current . . .

. . . with continuing education.

(Pause)

Third, . . . support is strongly suggested . . . for our “priests of integrity.”

This group of “FAITHFUL PRAYER WARRIORS” . . . asks that we look for ways . . .

. . . to encourage . . .  and to share in the workload . . . of the “INNOCENT PRIESTS” . . .

. . . whose “good name” . . . has been

. . . “COMPROMISED AND TARNISHED” . . .

. . . by this terrible scandal!

(Pause)   (The close)

        So, let us all . . . be persistent in “asking, seeking, and KNOCKING” . . .

. . . until our prayers . . .

. . . are completely answered!

Let us “be persistent” in the prayer . . . that allows the “power of the Holy Spirit”

. . .  to flow freely . . .

. . . between the Heavenly Father . . .

. . . and us, HIS EARTHLY CHILDREN.

        The presence of the Holy Spirit . . . is the “reality” . . .

. . . that “connects” . . .

. . . the “HUMAN WORLD” . . .

. . . with the “divine world.”

(Pause)

As the “DISCIPLES of CHRIST” today, . . . THROUGH “CONTINUOUS, PERSISTENT PRAYER,” . . .

. . . “we” can “bring change to our world”

. . . and “purify our Church”!

        In the “HIGHEST SENSE,” . . .

. . . “We” can “TRULY UNDERSTAND” . . .

. . . the “ministry of discipleship” . . .

. . . that God meant for us!         

           (Pause)

On June 11, 2010, . . . at the concluding mass celebrating “The Year of the Priest,” . . .

. . . Pope Benedict XVI said: . . . (read slowly) . . .

“The Year of the Priest” . . . might have been ruined by the clerical sex abuse scandal; . . .

. . . but, instead, it became a ‘summons to purification’ . . . in the Church.”

 “In this very year of joy for the Sacrament of the Priesthood, . . .

. . . the sins of the priests came to light . . . particularly the abuse of the “little ones,” . . .

. . . in which the priesthood, . . . whose task is to ‘manifest God’s concern for our good,’ . . .

 turned into its very opposite.”

“The Catholic Church begs forgiveness from the persons involved, . . .

. . . while promising to do everything possible . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . to ensure that such abuse . . .

. . . will never occur again”!

The Pope said, . . . “Let us look upon all that happened . . . (slowly) . . .

. . . as a ‘summons . . .

. . . to purification”!

(Long pause)

Thanks be to God . . . WHO gives us the victory . . . through our Lord . . . Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57)!

Amen.

                                                          Word count: 1210

 Additional resources from the “Voice of the Faithful”:
www.votf.org

www.votf.org/voicesinaction.pdf 
www. votf.org/VoicesInActionInfo.pdf

 
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